PURE emphasized UNO’s reliance on financing by tax-exempt bonds — and the growing debt-per-student costs that resulted. It looks a bit like a pyramid scheme, like a house of cards that would collapse if UNO failed to keep expanding.

Which is a question that should be considered — if one of these operators goes belly-up, who picks up the pieces?

PURE is a small, scrappy advocacy group with a long history. In the last couple years it’s taken on the two most politically connected charter schools with impressive results. Last year, a report by PURE and Voices of Youth in Chicago Education[6] got the Noble Network on the front pages[7] for harsh discipline policies involving extensive fines and pushing students out.

Article printed from
Chicago Newstips by Community Media Workshop:
http://www.newstips.org